2018 releases

Wednesday, 31 October 2012

Welcome to our 2nd Anniversary Halloween celebrations. This year we are having a blog hop!!

Before we get to that, let's talk creatures. The last year or so has seen an increase in Zombie action, especially with the hit TV series The Walking Dead.

Zombies are scary because with one bite - you are infected and will turn into one of them.

But there are other creatures that are scary - clowns. Yep, big goofy footed clowns. Oh, they pretend they are fun loving, but they have sinister plan..... Stephen King knew IT (oh, pun was totally unintentional and scary)....

Amanda Ashby has a new YA paranormal, Demonosity, coming out with Puffin on August 15th!

An ancient myth + a mean girl + a reluctant warrior = a lively take on good vs. evilThe Black Rose–a powerful ancient force–has been let loose and has
taken up residence in Celeste Gibson, popular girl at Cassidy
Carter-Lewis’ high school. Thomas Delacroix is the spirit of a
fourteenth-century knight who is devoted to protecting the Black Rose,
but he needs a contemporary living being to take on the challenge.
That’s where Cassidy comes in. She’s a quirky high school junior who
just wants to dress in her vintage clothes, hang out with her
best friend, and take care of her father, who is recovering from
surgery. She’s the last person who would ever volunteer for such a task,
but no one actually asked her. Now, like it or not, she finds
herself training before dawn and battling demons at parties, the mall,
and even at school. But hey, no one ever said high school was going to
be easy. . .

Mel Teshco's Hot Down Under short story, Silver Moon, is out with Momentum on November 1st!

Kristen Treymore isn't living anymore – she's existing.Trapped in marriage to Jack, an alcoholic who uses his fists to communicate, Kristen has given up her freedom in an attempt to protect his daughter.When Conrad Doyle, childhood friend and the man whose heart she unwittingly broke, shows up on Kristen's doorstep and offers her a lifeline, she can't refuse.What she never dreams possible is how much she still wants him—but is that enough to keep them together when terror still beats deep in her heart?

Room with a View is Kylie Scott's Hot Down Under short story and it also comes out with Momentum on November 1st! This story is a short set in the same post-apocalyptic world as Kylie's debut release, Flesh.

Natalie has watched as the zombie plague devastated civilisation.

Angus had been a miracle. Twenty-three years old and
gorgeous he had appeared like Romeo from the pool area and thrown
supplies up to her balcony. But now Angus is gone – he has abandoned
her, which is probably for the best. She couldn’t stand to watch him die
too.

Stranded four floors up and fenced in on all sides by the infected,
food and water supplies are running as low as Natalie’s spirits. A
lingering death from starvation seems inevitable.

But then she sees Angus striding for the pool gate with a sawn-off
shotgun in his hands. Can he make it past the infected to reach her? And
what will it mean if he does?

"Flesh in every sense of the word. A fast, fun, and occasionally frenzy-inducing read, but what made this one click for me, was the intense personal connection. Especially in the beginning. In fact, I “felt” it so quickly, that I let y’all know in a pre-review that I was really enjoying this one, and I already knew Flesh was worthy of recommending. It captured me right from the start, and Daniel did not disappoint."

What:
GenreCon stays up late and discusses the craft of writing adult themes,
from sizzling sex-scenes to acts of violence. What phrases are best
avoided? When is it time to stop letting yourself get carried away? Are
there any lines that shouldn't be crossed? Our panellists will talk
frankly about what works, and what doesn't.Chair: Rosie CourtneyParticipants: Yvonne Eve Walus, Denise Rossetti, Marty Young

The Dark Side DownUnder has its 2nd anniversary coming up at the end of the month and we're celebrating with a blog-hop and lots of giveaways! The Halloween Blog-Hop begins 31st October and runs through to 4th November. Stay tuned for more details!!!

Thursday, 25 October 2012

I never intended to write about ancient gods. I figured they had hogged the story-telling limelight for much too long. The last thing the fiction world needed was another tale proclaiming their glory or vileness. No, Harbinger was going to be about Ophelia, a mortal girl trying to solve the mystery of her past. There would be no gods.

Then Aden took over Ophelia’s favourite bar. Here was an arrogant, seductive guy who could have any girl he wanted just by crooking his finger. And my imagination insisted he was a demigod. He couldn’t be a vampire, angel, demon, werewolf or any other paranormal creature, he had to be a demigod.

I thought I was safe.

He was just one demigod right? Other than Ophelia’s long lost “god-father”, there were no other gods. Harbinger was still a mostly deity-free zone.

I should have known better. Like ants, where there was one there were thousands. First Hermes, in all his surfer-tanned, blonde glory, walked onto the scene followed close behind by bespoke-suite clad Zeus and sophisticated modern woman, Hera. Not to mention Ares, Macha, Hel, Sobek and Anuket. It was a deluge of deities.

But if you were hoping for a traditional portrayal of ancient gods, then Harbinger is not the book for you. In Ophelia’s world, the gods have evolved, moved on. They don’t swan around draped in white cloth or mostly nude (unless they are at home or visiting a naturist resort). Many of them own houses, have jobs and appreciate the joy of modern fabrics and zippers. Of course, there are those who live in their own private realms, never visiting the world of mortals, but they are the minority.

There are some things, however, that even a couple of millennia cannot change. The gods’ private lives still resemble a soap opera on steroids. They can still be adulterous, sneaky, jealous, vengeful creatures with the capacity for great kindness, sacrifice and love. Some remain confused about why mortals don’t worship them as much as they used to. And of course, they continue to have the annoying habit of meddling in mortals’ lives just because they feel like it.

Oh, and they possess the world record for grudge holding.

None of which boded well for a mortal girl just trying to do her job and deliver messages for them.

Poor Ophelia, never stood a chance.

As an Olympic messenger, suburban Aussie girl Ophelia Lind is used to being at the beck and call of the gods. But when gorgeous demigod Aden moves into her neighbourhood and starts taking advantage of her services, Ophelia believes life could not get any worse. She's about to be proven very wrong. Ophelia tries to enjoy a normal, everyday life while running messages for the Greek gods – but without warning an odious creature - evil incarnate - begins to stalk her. As a messenger dealing with the all-powerful and sometimes frightening gods, Ophelia is accustomed to adventures and scrapes. But this is different. Suddenly Ophelia is in a battle for survival and begins to question everything – her upbringing, her identity, and her true feelings for the alluring and entirely frustrating Aden.

Excerpt:

With Hades at my side, the trip through the Asphodel Fields was so short it was almost non-existent. It passed in a blur of grey and yellow but the occasional moans from the bodiless ghosts that lived there still managed to send a chill up my spine.

‘Wow, she’s really gone all out this time.’ An Underworld version of a Regency manor house sat where Hades’ palace once had been. I think he let Persephone decorate as she liked in the hope it would help her forget how much she hated him and his realm.

‘Thank the Styx my brothers never visit. It would give them one more weapon to piss me off with.’

‘Oh, it’s not that bad.’

Hades lowered his chin and stared at me.

‘Okay. I admit it’s not as impressive as the medieval castle thing you had last time I was here, but it could be worse,’ I said.

‘The house I don’t mind; the clothes I could do without.’ He picked at his waistcoat as if it were a dead animal carcass that needed removing.

‘Just be glad she isn’t into nursery rhymes.’

Before Hades could respond, Persephone threw open the doors, a breathtaking Elizabeth to Hades’ Mr Darcy. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched the god’s face soften at the sight of his wife’s joy.

‘Wonderful, more company,’ she said and led us into the public area of the palace and the only room I had ever been in. It was decorated to suit the exterior with a series of uncomfortable-looking sofas and chairs placed close enough in the large space to allow quiet conversation. A silver tray on a side table held a porcelain teapot, cups and saucers. Next to it were a number of plates containing an assortment of afternoon tea goodies.

I felt Hades’ muscles tense under my hand and I looked in the same direction as him. On a dainty sofa, nursing a cup and saucer on his thigh, sat Aden. In jeans and a T-shirt, he stood out like a demon in heaven. The cup rattled as he put it on the small table beside him and stood.

‘What the hell are you doing here?’ The words left my mouth before I could stop them. A grunt emanated from Hades as if he were trying not to laugh aloud. Persephone scowled as if worried it would permanently mar her face if she did so too deeply. Too late, I remembered my manners. I glared at Aden then turned to the goddess with a smile.

Care to win a prize? Just answer in the comments below, which ancient god you would like to have as a houseguest.

You could win either a copy of Harbinger (e-book only) or a shiny, sparkly bookish surprise. International entries welcome. The winner will be announced on Monday 29th October.

AND C.T.Green is also a finalist with another manuscript in the Windy City 2012 Four Seasons Romance Writer's Contest!

Congrats!

BOOK COVERS & RELEASE DATES

Rhyll Biest's A Sporting Chance, a Hot Down under short story with Momentum, comes out on November 1st.

In the outback town of Mount Tully, many a man’s had to squeeze into a frock after backing the wrong derby cane toad on Australia Day.But Mount Tully’s surliest bartender, Jane Hood, has her steel-capped boots planted firmly on the ground, so there’s no way she’d risk her independence to accept a saucy bet from the sexy but bossy pub owner, Luka Belov … is there?

Room With A View is Kylie Scott's short story. As part of the Hot Down Under collection, it's being released 1st November through Momentum Books.

Natalie has watched as the zombie plague devastated civilisation.Angus had been a miracle. Twenty-three years old and gorgeous he had appeared like Romeo from the pool area and thrown supplies up to her balcony. But now Angus is gone – he has abandoned her, which is probably for the best. She couldn’t stand to watch him die too.Stranded four floors up and fenced in on all sides by the infected, food and water supplies are running as low as Natalie’s spirits. A lingering death from starvation seems inevitable.But then she sees Angus striding for the pool gate with a sawn-off shotgun in his hands. Can he make it past the infected to reach her? And what will it mean if he does?

What:
GenreCon stays up late and discusses the craft of writing adult themes,
from sizzling sex-scenes to acts of violence. What phrases are best
avoided? When is it time to stop letting yourself get carried away? Are
there any lines that shouldn't be crossed? Our panellists will talk
frankly about what works, and what doesn't.Chair: Rosie CourtneyParticipants: Yvonne Eve Walus, Denise Rossetti, Marty Young

The Dark Side DownUnder has its 2nd anniversary coming up at the end of the month and we're celebrating with a blog-hop and lots of giveaways! The Halloween Blog-Hop begins 31st October and runs through to 4th November. Stay tuned for more details!!!

Saturday, 20 October 2012

Many apologies to Anna and all of you - this was meant to appear at the end of September, but I totally missed it. So the info on Anna's latest release is actually incorrect but I will make mention in the text.

~Eleni

Today's Darklight On is with Anna Hackett. Welcome, Anna!

How did you come to write speculative fiction? What attracted you to the genre? I love reading paranormal and science fiction, I love watching spec fiction shows and movies and I’m a huge ancient history buff. I’ve visited the pyramids, wandered the Coliseum, stood at the Acropolis and gazed out over Troy. For some reason, ancient things get my blood pumping!

To take ancient mythology and legend and twist that into my stories makes me very happy. I love that anything can happen in the paranormal/sci-fi world and usually does.

Please tell us a little about your road to publication. I started out writing novel length paranormal romance. I was targeting Harlequin’s paranormal line, Nocturne when I saw an online pitch opportunity for Nocturne Bites (15,000 word short stories). From that pitch, I sold my first short story, Savage Dragon.

After five Nocturne Bites, I’ve branched out. I have a self published paranormal suspense novella, Time Thief out (and more to come) and my first sci-fi romance, Winter Fusion will be out with Carina Press in December. I love that writers have so many paths and opportunities open to them when it comes to publication now.

You have recently gone into self publication. Can you tell us a little about this? Self publishing has proven a successful avenue for many authors so I thought I’d dip my toe in and see what the water was like!

The Anomaly Trilogy was written exclusively to self publish and see what the process was like. I have loved working with my freelance editor and cover artist. There is something very refreshing about having ultimate control of your product. I’ve done my utmost to create a quality book.

The downside is that you have to sacrifice some writing time for all the “extra” work your publisher would ordinarily do – editing, proof reading, conversions, writing copy, uploading etc.

I see self publishing as another avenue for my work. I will still publish with traditional and epublishers but now I have choices to find the best publishing fit for each story I write.

Your current release is Time Thief. Can you describe this book for us? Heroine who can stop time and is out for revenge. Hero who is an ex-Navy SEAL hunting her down. Add a bank robbery, some gunfights, and of course some sexy romance.

The idea for Time Thief sparked from the image of a woman about to rob a bank by stopping time. No idea where the idea came from but I knew I needed to work out how she was able to stop time and what she was there to steal!

Here’s the blurb:

Hunted for her ability to steal time, Bay North lives a life on the run. All she wants is to make the crime lord who slaughtered her family pay. But now he's set the ultimate hunter on her trail and Bay will need all her skills to carry out her revenge and survive.

Ex-Navy SEAL Sean Archer saw his team killed by a time thief in Afghanistan and came back a broken man. He's made a dark deal with a criminal to hunt down all time thieves and now Sean's tracked the wily Bay North to Denver where he plans to rid the world of one more dangerous mutation.

But during a shootout, hunter and hunted find themselves depending on each other for survival. Joining forces to exact payback by stealing a priceless treasure, their reluctant alliance shatters both their defenses. Can Bay find the courage to trust? And can Sean convince a woman honed in revenge that she can have more than vengeance, blood and killing?

You’ve had some lovely covers. Do have you any favourites? Glad you like them (-: Hmm, tough question. Whenever I get a new cover it is so exciting and I always love that cover until a new one comes along. I am THRILLED with the cover for Time Thief and it was great to work directly with my cover artist (the fantastic Frauke from Croco Designs) to achieve exactly what I wanted.

Of course, I recently received my cover for my December release, Winter Fusion and I LOVE it. It is so pretty.

Are you a plotter? Pantser? Or somewhere in-between? Somewhere in-between -- and probably closer to pantser than I’d like to admit.

I’m an engineer by day and thought I would definitely be a plotter when I started writing. But I’ve found that when I plot out a story in too much detail, I lose interest in it. For me, the crucial thing to nail down before I start writing is the goal, motivation and conflict for my characters. I also make notes on how the characters will change through each segment of the story. So I don’t plot scenes, rather I plot character growth.

Do have a favourite of your characters? I knew you’d slip this one in somewhere! I could list something I love about every one of my characters but if I have to choose….my favourites at the moment are the hero and heroine of Mind Raider (the second story in The Anomaly Trilogy) which will be out in October.

Callahan is dark, powerful and a little scary and Mara is an opinionated, leap-before-you-look kind of woman who knows exactly what she wants.

What are you currently working on? I’m having a blast working on a space adventure! I have a sexy rogue of a space treasure hunter who I’m trying to tame – add in a disapproving astro-archeologist, some spaceships and sand monsters – and its lots of fun.

What is your favourite part of the process of writing? Those rare days when the words of the first draft just flow out in a big unimpeded rush. Doesn’t happen all the time, but when it does, it’s magic.

What can we expect from Anna Hackett in the future? More sci-fi romance. More paranormal romance filled with action adventure. More short stories.

Who are your favourite authors? When I was younger it was Nora Roberts and Linda Howard. Now my auto-buys are Nalini Singh, Meljean Brook and Pamela Clare.

What are you currently reading? Meljean Brook’s latest Steampunk installment, Riveted.

Do you have a favourite spec fiction movie or TV series? I couldn’t possibly just list one! I’m a huge Star Trek fan and I love Battlestar Galactica, Buffy, Angel, Falling Skies and Grimm. A couple of recent movies I saw and loved were Battleship and The Avengers.

Do you have advice for emerging writers? Just write. Do it every day. Stop making excuses.

I used to listen to published authors say this when I was a newbie starting out and I never truly understood it. Now that I’ve made writing a daily habit I’m much more productive and the more you write, the better your writing gets.

That's the kind of thing you don’t find much in fantasy novels these days. We like things to be more realistic. We're tough and cool like that. Power always has a flip side, and magic comes at a cost.

The fallen angels in my Seven Signs series have magical powers. For instance, my hero, Luniel, can flash, or teleport, from place to place. His weapon – a sword, of course, what self-respecting angel of vengeance doesn't wield a sword? – is imbued with holy fire, and materialises at his whim. He can curse his demon enemies and set them on fire, if he's quick enough. And he can track the scent of evil.

But it only works if he believes it will. So the price of his magic is humility. The realisation that while he might have lost faith in heaven – even if only for one crucial moment, when he fell – heaven never lost faith in him.

For a guy who's already struggling with faith – and wouldn't you be, if you'd been thrown out of heaven for falling in love, and cursed to walk the earth for eternity? – that's not always easy. And when the seven signs begin, and it becomes clear that the Demon King and his hellish minions are trying to bring on the end of the world, Luniel's doubts crystallise. Why is stopping the demons his job? If God really wants to stop the End, why doesn't He just smite the bad guys and get it over with?

But when zombies threaten to take over Manhattan – can't have a good apocalypse without zombies! – Luniel has no choice but to step up. Especially now he's falling for Morgan, who believes in science, not hocus pocus. It's up to him to prove to her that this Apocalypse is real – before both their souls are lost, and the demons bring about Hell on earth.

No pressure.

Anyhoo... let's do a giveaway! Come down below (snigger... she said 'down below'...) and answer the fab comment question, and a lucky random person will win a pre-order of book 2 in the Seven Signs series, REDEMPTION. It's due out March 2013, so it'll be a nice surprise in your mail. Yay!

Here's a magical snippet from REVELATION to whet your appetite. Luniel and his heroine, medical
examiner Dr Morgan Sterling, are checking out an angel's corpse for clues to the killer. Y'know, like CSI, except with woo-woo...

~~

Luniel poked his finger into the hole in Ithiel’s heart, swiping up a clot of dark angel blood. He sniffed his finger, and licked it. Faint putrefaction stung. The demon magic had faded a lot. A week since Ithiel stopped answering. It fitted.

Morgan wrinkled her nose. “Eww, gross.”

“Is that the scientific term? You should try it in your autopsies. Taste is a powerful attractant.”

“Tell me about it.”

He grinned. “No, I mean for spells. Magic has its own distinct flavor, depending on the caster. That one has the definite stink of demon prince.”

A sexy cocked eyebrow. “And what does yours taste like?”

“Breathe in and see.” He flattened his palm on Ithiel’s broken chest, and murmured the words for a sigil burn.

To enter the giveaway for a pre-order of REDEMPTION, answer me this: if you could have one magic spell to use whenever you wanted, what would it be? Contest closes on Monday night 22 October, and it's international, provided the online store will let me ship you the book.

Wednesday, 17 October 2012

This fortnight, the Darkside Down Under is proud to present... A
Bite of Harbinger by Peta Crake.

Can
you, in less than five words describe your book, Harbinger?

Modern girl + manipulative gods =
trouble

What
inspired you to write it?

An innocuous comment, a writing exercise
and a song.

Firstly, was the frequently heard
comment that nothing ever happens in Perth. It got me thinking about the sort
of things that could happen in Perth. What creatures could walk the city
streets while the rest of the population remained oblivious?

The answer came from a writing exercise
where I had to finish the sentence: “On the morning of my sixteenth birthday…”
Ophelia, the heroine of Harbinger, popped into my head and answered, “…my
mother told me my father was a god. I, of course, laughed my arse off and told
her it was impossible. The next day she was dead and I was left to discover the
truth on my own.”

Finally, I was listening to a song I had
heard a hundred times before, “Sex and Candy” by Marcy Playground. I suddenly
saw an image of a man in a bar watching a girl. It all fell into place. The
girl was Ophelia and the man was Aden, a demigod. That song became his theme
song for the opening scene of the book, part of which you can read below.

And without further preamble, here's the excerpt!

‘Stay a while. Let me buy you a drink.’
‘No thanks.’
He leant down, until his mouth was just inches away;
the scent of sandalwood enveloped me and drove away the old beer smell of the
bar.
‘Seriously, you don’t know what you’re missing. I
promise you will have the best night of your life.’
For one second I was tempted. If he were as good as he
looked, it would definitely be a night to remember. But I still had a job to
do, and with some god living in my neighbourhood, things were going to be
difficult enough without throwing a one-night stand into the mix.
‘Tempting . . . but no.’
A smirk curled the corners of his mouth. He raised his
hand and slowly crooked his finger at me.
‘I think I’m close enough,’ I said.
His mouth uncurled. He looked at his finger, crooked
it again, and then looked at me expectantly. I stared at his curled digit and
sighed.
‘It doesn’t matter how much you do that, I will not
come any closer.’
‘You can resist me?’
I raised my eyebrows and sniggered. ‘Well, it isn’t
hard. It takes more than a tacky one-liner. I can’t be the first to say no to
your charming personality.’
He glared at me, his eyes more storm cloud than arctic
ice. Then he smiled and cocked an eyebrow. I got a bad feeling in the pit of my
stomach, like that nervous dread you feel when you just know someone is about
to tell you bad news.
He crooked his finger at a random girl, then folded
his arms, and grinned like a cat that just ate the prize goldfish. Before I
could remove the puzzled frown from my face, the girl left her boyfriend and
walked over to us. She looked up at him as if he were the only man on earth and
dragged his head down to plant a kiss on his lips. The girl might just as well
have not been there at all, as his eyes never left mine. For a second, a wave
of despair filled them, flooded over me and made my heart clench. Then it was
gone and the arrogance returned. He winked, snapped his fingers, broke off the
kiss, and pushed the very confused girl at her fuming boyfriend. She burst into
tears and scurried after him as he stormed out of the bar.
‘You arsehole. That was incredibly mean and . . . ’
My tirade stuck in my throat. ‘Oh shit, you’re Aden, aren’t you?’ My mind went
into overdrive as I tried to remember if I had ever been as rude to a god
before.
‘In the flesh, and you are?’
‘I have a message for you.’
I thrust the scroll at him and desperately wished I
could crawl into the corner and disappear. Heat spread across my face until it
had to have been as red as my dress. I had been rude to a god and in the
process hurt two innocent people. I was going straight to hell on an express
train. How much more stupid could I get?
The scarlet seal on the black scroll glowed and
disappeared as soon as it touched Aden’s outstretched hand. His eyes flicked up
to look at me; the spark of interest in them sent warning shudders down my
spine. He slowly looked me up and down, as if appraising a piece of furniture
he wanted to buy.
‘So you are one of Hermes’ little friends. Glad to see
he is making his messengers more attractive.’
‘I’m sure Daddy dearest didn’t do it for your benefit.’
Aden couldn’t have looked more surprised if I had
slapped him across the face with a fish. ‘Hermes is your father?’
‘Supposedly.’ I wasn’t about to tell him I had never
met the god and the only thing Hermes had ever given me was my job and a lonely
mother. I hadn’t even inherited any demigod powers.
Aden’s forehead crinkled as he slowly re-read the
message. I would have given anything to see what Aunt Hera had written, but
that was not part of my job description. I could touch but not look. He glanced
up at me again, eyes full of speculation. Time to go. If I didn’t, I was going
to say something I would regret. The guy seriously set my nerves on edge. ‘Wait.’ He
touched my arm to stop me from leaving, and then waved his hand over the scroll
to record a new message. It sealed automatically as he handed it to me, the red
wax forming a perfect circle as a pulsing gold bar of light flowed through it.
‘Take this to Nym Dryad.’
‘Your wish is my command.’
‘Oh yes, I know.’ He dismissed me with a cocky grin
and a flick of his hand.

Tuesday, 16 October 2012

Shona Husk has sold Ruby’s Ghost to Samhain. It's a paranormal romance between a man in coma and the woman who can save him from being dragged to the other side by the ghost of his vengeful ex. It has a release date of May 2013.

Imogene Nix has sold her story, The Plan, to Beachwalk Press with a release date in April 2013.

Khloe Wren has sold her book Her Guardian Angel to Rogue Phoenix Press.

Congrats, everyone!

BOOK LAUNCH

Out of Sight(Sophie's Mixed Up Magic Bk #3) by Amanda Ashby, came out on October 11th with Puffin. It's a middle-grade story about a young girl with magic powers.

Sometimes wishes do come true…With her powers under control and things with Jonathan on track,
Sophie can now focus on learning the whole truth about her dad (not to
mention trying to figure out how she can save him and bring him back to
their family). Fortunately, she’s got Malik, her djinn-guide, to help
her as she navigates carpet-flying, learns how to make herself
invisible, and braces herself for what promises to be a very exciting
adventure. But if it brings her dad back, it will all be worth it!Lilliana Rose's book of poetry, Creating Wings, published by Infinity Dreaming, will be launched by Graham Rowlands, 6.30pm at the SA Writers' Centre, 2nd floor, 187 Rundle St, Adelaide on the 25th October, 6.30pm. Everyone welcome!

Life can pluck out your feathers and clip your wings, leaving you stranded and alone.Until you remember to begin again and create a new set of wings.

BOOK COVERS & RELEASE DATES

C.T.Green'sDream Lover is part of the Hot Down Under series of sexy short stories, and comes out December 1st with Momentum.

Cate Reynolds is lost in the middle of the Australian bush, all because of one fatally attractive man.Reece Johnson’s not just a threat to her libido, but her peaceful paranormal existence. In order to avoid revealing her darkest secret, Cate needs to stay as far away from Reece’s irresistible appeal as possible. But how can she when they’re forced to share a tent? In the sultry heat of summer, Cate will discover just how incredible dreams can be and that sometimes they can also come true.

Maree Anderson has Rob’s Decadent Hot Chocolate Sauce desert recipe, in Passionate Cooks, a cookbook released on October 1st from All Romance eBooks.
Every week Maree will share a different recipe on her blog, such as Jennie Brumley’s OMG delicious Double-Chocolate Hazelnut Brownie Cake.

Food and love have had a long association, for Passionate Cooks: Free Recipes From Today’s Hottest Romance Authors, over 150 authors of the genre have put their pens and computers aside to don aprons, get down and dirty in the kitchen, and share their love of food.Much like romance novels themselves, the dishes range from spicy to sweet. There is something for every taste and every level of culinary expertise. The cookbook includes New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Mari Carr’s “Wild Irish” Cream of Crab Soup recipe. Western GBLT author BA Tortuga contributes a dish as spicy and colorful as the straight-shooting author herself with Ranch Hands—a blend of Tabasco, salsa, onions and cumin, added to pinto beans, eggs, Canadian bacon and cheddar cheese and served in a tortilla. And for those of you who are feeling extra creative and sexy, there’s the Avocado Dip that doubles as body paint from mystery writer Marcia James.Some recipes are simple, such as Down Home Mac & Cheese, while some are more exotic, such as Spicy Shrimp Risotto. There are even some gluten-free selections, like the Sweet and Spicy Gluten-Free Lo Mein-ish Noodles from erotica author Sommer Marsden. And a few are perfectly timed for a Halloween, such as Tracey H. Kitt’s Gamberi del Diavolo or Shrimp of the Devil.Best of all, they are FREE!Link here.

"The storyline grabbed me by my short and curlies within the first chapter - I had this finished in no time. Even jumping in my car on the way home from work just to finish the last half of the book. It certainly had me engrossed. It dragged me into the pages until I had finished the last words and after wards I just sighed – sighed and sighed again! And wandered how long till the next tale."

"The author does take her time in having them work through all of their issues that they have to face on daily bases. Nothing was rushed. It all seemed to come together naturally. Which I find with books like this can be quite hard for some authors to do!"

What: GenreCon stays up late and discusses the craft of writing adult themes, from sizzling sex-scenes to acts of violence. What phrases are best avoided? When is it time to stop letting yourself get carried away? Are there any lines that shouldn't be crossed? Our panellists will talk frankly about what works, and what doesn't.Chair: Rosie CourtneyParticipants: Yvonne Eve Walus, Denise Rossetti, Marty Young

Maree Anderson is over at the Red Hot Red Sage Authors Blog as part of The Alpha Male Blog Hop, talking about Nice Guys, Dragons, and Demon Kings. There’s a giveaway on offer!

The Dark Side DownUnder has its 2nd anniversary coming up at the end of the month and we're celebrating with a blog-hop and lots of giveaways! The Halloween Blog-Hop begins 31st October and runs through to 4th November. Stay tuned for more details!!!

Apologies to everyone regarding the Anna Hackett Darklight On, which was meant to be a couple of weeks ago. Put it down to operator (i.e. my) error. Sorry.

I've been checking the Subscribe by Email options, and I'm a little confused (not surprisingly), but it seems that AdSense is being stopped, but not the normal Feedburner. I will see what happens by the end of October and if this changes, I will let you know.

And big news...our second anniversary is coming up and we're prepping for a ....

Inspiration for me as a writer comes in many forms, found most often in
the simple, every day and innocuous moments.

~ Lifelong Romance.

When I fondly reminisce how my grandparents (Nan and Pop) used to hold
hands as they watched television in their side-by-side armchairs .

…Theirs could have well been an epic love story.

~ Manners of Yesteryear.

Seeing a tough young man open the door for a woman he doesn’t know, or
giving up a seat on the bus for a pregnant woman.

…Perhaps a hero from the wrong side of the tracks?

~Love without saying the words.

The husband who watches the children or makes dinner while the wife
writes.

…My favorite hero for obvious reasons. This one is my husband, my
knight in shining armor, but without the steed. Or the armor…

~Mother Nature.

The sun setting over a big rocky mountain or the deep blue-green ocean.
The far desert sands and the babbling creek meandering around mossy rocks.

…A possible setting for my next book (and a peaceful place to think
story ideas through)

~Life Experiences

A conglomeration of joy and sorrow, love and hurt, good times and bad.
Everyone has had a different journey and learned different things.

…Outlook of characters from author’s perspective.

~Family

The joy of watching your children born, then their children. The pride
at their accomplishments and the heartache at their struggles. The sorrow of a
parent’s ageing body, the grief at a grandparent’s funeral.

…Learning to grasp those emotions, good and bad, and putting them into
the written word.